Waxwork Wears Its 80s Bonafides On Its Sleeve, For Better and Worse

By the end of the 1980s, the best days of the slasher movie were in the rearview mirror. The Friday the 13th series was long in the tooth, and A Nightmare on Elm Street wasn’t far behind. In general, horror was hitting a lull by the end of the decade. But the straight-to-video market allowed […]

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The Sword and the Sorcerer a Run-of-the-Mill, But Fun, Foray Into Fantasy

For a brief period in the 1980s, sword and sandal fantasy movies ruled video store shelves. While Clash of the Titans recalled 60s and 70s swashbucklers like Jason and the Argonauts and the Sinbad series, Conan the Barbarian was a pulpier, violent epic. Following Conan’s box office success, film studios rushed to capitalize with their […]

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Nightbooks a Near Perfect Balance Of Scary and Whimsical For Gateway Horror

Maybe as tricky as mixing horror and comedy, the gateway horror movie is tough to get right. It needs to be scary, but not traumatizing, while being for kids yet not childish. In the 1980s, Poltergeist, Gremlins, The Gate, and Killer Klowns from Outer Space introduced a generation of kids to the horror genre. For […]

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The Green Knight: A Darkly Ambiguous Take on an Old Myth

As theaters have slowly re-opened in 2021, The Green Knight has stood out as one of the anticipated movies of the summer. Based on the anonymous 14th Century poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the movie promises a unique blend of styles. In addition, The Green Knight boasts an impressive collection of talent behind […]

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The Head Hunter: A Cut Above Most Indie Horror

Vikings have enjoyed a recent cultural renaissance courtesy of The History Channel’s epics series. Likewise, Game of Thrones has proven the crossover appeal of fantasy-based medieval storylines. Now director Jordan Downey’s Viking-monster mashup, The Head Hunter, is available on select VOD-platforms. Synopsis A lone medieval warrior scours mist-covered lands for the monster that killed his […]

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The Order – Episode 3, An Introduction to Ethics, PT 1

Here we go, Episode 3 of The Order. This one’s entitled, Introduction to Ethics, PT. I. The title potentially implies a bigger role for Sam Trammell’s ethics professor, Eric Clarke. Alternatively, the episode synopsis promises consequences for the use of magic. Either way it feels like we have a story that might start to gain […]

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The Order Episode 1: Hell Week, Part I

Following on the heels of the successful Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and The Haunting of Hill House, The Order is the latest Netflix supernatural chiller. The Vancouver-based horror-fantasy show promises a college-based battle between werewolves and an ancient order of dark magic practitioners. Think of it as a Riverdale-style variation on Underworld. All ten episodes […]

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The School Submits The Wrong Assignment for Horror Fans

From Wolf Creek to The Babadook, Australia has delivered some great horror imports over the years. Just last year, critics heaped praised on a couple of Australian exports including the gritty Hounds of Love and supernatural-themed Boys in The Trees. Hoping to follow in their footsteps, writer and director Storm Ashwood’s creepy looking horror offering, […]

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